I finally officially graduated with my master's degree in public health last month! Yippee!
Now what do I do?
I've been perusing the job postings at many sites and have made quite a number of applications. One job I saw with Kaiser sounds like the dream job for an ostomate like me who irrigates every morning...the hours are 1 pm - 5 pm every day. Well, I applied for it with big hopes of getting an interview - then a day or two ago I saw the same job re-posted, but now with new qualifications: a certain number of years worked within the last 5 or 10 years! Well, that roundly pissed me off! So I sent in my resume again, now with a new cover letter (here it is in part):
...in addition to many years of experience in the field, I have faced my own experience with catastrophic illness, chronic condition management, palliative care, and "issues pertaining to death, disfigurement, and disability." While a Kaiser Permanente employee, I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in October 2002. After initial surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, I was scheduled to return to work in April 2003. Unfortunately, I was diagnosed with a recurrence and asked to resign my employment. I underwent many additional treatments, including what was then considered experimental - cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). This procedure has raised the 5-year survival rate for advanced colorectal cancer from 5% to 50% and is now offered by Kaiser surgeons in Northern California. After eight years, I am considered cured of colorectal cancer, with only a mild level of disability: a permanent colostomy.
After completion of treatment, and while recovering my health, I pursued a Master's degree in Public Health, Health Services Administration, Public Health Management, part-time at San Diego State University. I case-managed the care of my elderly parents, both of whom had dementia. My father had Alzheimer's Disease and died in March 2011 on hospice care. My mother has Vascular Dementia and is in placement. I managed all of their legal, financial, and personal care for over 3 years. In addition, I earned a certificate in Clinical Trials Administration from UC San Diego and have volunteered in cancer survivorship and advocacy activities.
I am disclosing this information to make you aware that I have kept current with the medical and social work fields, especially in oncology and chronic care. I have a unique perspective as a licensed professional, patient, and caregiver.
I hope you will recognize that although I have not been paid for my efforts since 2003, I have not been idle and can be an effective and enthusiastic asset to Kaiser Permanente.
Now the question is - did I go too far? I felt like I needed to take a chance at being right up-front so human resources wouldn't just round-file my application because I didn't have a paid job for so many years. Any input, anyone?
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